Guidelines for Communicating With and About Persons with Disabilities

In speaking or writing, remember that persons with disabilities are like everyone else - except they happen to have a disability.  It is important to use "person first language".  This means speaking of the person first, then the disability.  For example: use "person with a disability" instead of “disabled person”.  The emphasis should be placed on the person’s common humanity rather than their difference from everyone else. Try to use words for disability as adjectives, rather than nouns: “persons who are blind or visually impaired” rather than “the blind”.

We should always avoid patronizing language and behavior. Let the individual speak and do things for himself or herself as much as possible. Be considerate of the time it takes for a person with a disability to get things done or said. If you do not understand something that a person with a speaking impairment said, do not pretend to understand. It is alright to ask them to repeat a statement. If you are speaking to someone who has a hearing impairment and uses an interpreter, you should not speak to the interpreter, you should speak directly to the person you are interviewing.

Don’t be afraid to use common phrases such as “do you see my point”, when speaking to someone who is blind. We should be sensitive, but the people you will interview are not made of glass. We should be respectful of them as human beings who have value and the ability to contribute to society. We should avoid language that is dehumanizing. Some examples of acceptable and unacceptable language are presented below:

Guidelines for Writing about People with Disabilities

Below are guidelines for writing about people with disabilities.  The guidelines were drafted by Stephen Rosenbaum, of the ATTAC/NAPAS Legal Committee and the California P&A, and will be sent to all individuals who request ATTAC/NAPAS participation as amicus curiae.  We hope you find these helpful.

Put people first – not their disability.  Write: women with arthritis, children who are deaf, people with disabilities, person with bi-polar.  This puts the focus on the individual, not the particular functional limitation.  Because of efforts to be succinct, it is not always possible to put people first.  Consider the following variations: disabled persons, non-disabled people, deaf girl, paralyzed child.  Avoid: crippled, handicapped, deformed, suffers from, infirm, victim of, the retarded, the disabled, the deaf and dumb, etc.  Also, in lieu of autistic, diabetic, schizophrenic, etc., use: person with autism, child with diabetes or person with schizophrenia.  DO NOT USE GENERIC LABELS for disability groups, such as the retarded, the deaf, the disabled.  Emphasize people, not labels.  Write: people with mental retardation or people who are deaf.

Do not sensationalize a disability – by writing: afflicted with, crippled with, suffers from, victim of, etc.  Instead, write: person who has multiple sclerosis or man who has polio.

Handicap – not a synonym for disability.  Describes a condition or barrier imposed by society, the environment, or by one’s own self.  Some individuals prefer inaccessible or not accessible to describe social and environmental barriers.  Handicap can be used when quoting or citing laws and situations, but should not be used to describe a disability.  Do not refer to people with disabilities as the handicapped or handicapped people.  Instead: the building is not wheelchair accessible or the stairs are a handicap for her.

Wheelchairs – write:  plaintiff X is a wheelchair user or uses a wheelchair.  Wheelchair-bound or confined to a wheelchair are not appropriate.  Many people who use chairs actually describe themselves as “liberated” rather than “confined.”

Mental disability – the Federal Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) lists four categories under mental disability: psychiatric disability, retardation, learning disability, and cognitive impairment.  Any of these terms is acceptable.  Avoid: plaintiff is mentally ill.  Instead, write: a person with mental illness or a psychiatric disability.  There are number of alternatives to psychiatric disability, e.g., mental health diagnosis, mental health condition, or person with a psychiatric label.

Non-Disabled – appropriate term for people without disabilities.  Normal, able-bodied, or health are inappropriate.

Do not imply disease – when discussing disabilities that result from a prior disease episode.  People who had polio and experienced after-affects have a post-polio disability.  There are not currently experiencing the disease.  Do not imply disease for people whose disability resulted from anatomical or physiological damage (e.g., person with spina bifida or cerebral palsy).  Reference to disease associated with a disability is acceptable only with chronic diseases, such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis.  People with disabilities should never be referred to as patients or cases unless their relationship with their doctor is under discussion.

Deaf – deafness refers to a profound degree of hearing loss that prevents understanding speech through the ear.  Hearing impaired and hearing loss are generic terms used by some individuals to indicate any degree of hearing loss – from mild to profound.  These terms include: people who are hard of hearing (mild to moderate hearing loss that may or may not be corrected with amplification) and deaf.  However, some individuals completely disfavor the term hearing impaired.  Use: woman who is deaf, boy who is hard of hearing, individuals with hearing losses, people who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

HIV/AIDS – acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is an infections disease resulting in the loss of the body’s immune system to ward off infections, caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).  A positive test for HIV can occur without symptoms of the illnesses which usually develop up to 10 years later.  Preferred: people living with HIV, persons with AIDS or living with AIDS.  Do not use: person who suffers from HIV or AIDS victim.

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